Mark Stoops confident in where Kentucky stands with revenue share

For several weeks, schools have been able to share revenue directly with student athletes following the passing of June’s historic NCAA-House settlement. Power conference schools such as those in the SEC will be able to share as much as $20.5 million across all sports, with the majority of it going to college football.

One of the goals is to help create parity in college sports — which is something that Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops is excited to see play out. He was honest about the Wildcats’ recent struggles ahead of fall camp, and is hoping the settlement will help in that regard.

“It excites me because I feel like, for the first time, like we’re going to be in a position to, hopefully, be on equal playing ground with everybody,” Stoops said. “And that hasn’t always happened. And I’m not throwing any shade anywhere, just — it’s true, right? I mean, I don’t have to feel funny talking about money anymore. It’s just part of it, right? Part of all college sports.

“It’s been a tough time, but I don’t like talking about that because it feels like an excuse. It is what it is, man. It’s gone. But I do feel like, as we move forward with the support of the administration this year, and where we’re going in the future, I really feel like we could be put in a position to be on a really good route. I haven’t always felt that way, so that excites me.”

With Kentucky able to offer the same amount of money through revenue sharing as every other team in the SEC, the theory is that it could attract higher profile talent to Lexington. That effort to recruit blue-chip prospects to Big Blue Nation will begin with the 2026 class.

The settlement comes during a three-year stretch for the Wildcats where they’ve failed to win more than seven games in a single season. Kentucky’s 4-8 finish in 2024 was the worst under Stoops since 2013 and ended their program record eight-straight bowl appearances. BBN would love to have that turned around in short order.

“I feel like, as we move forward, these past two, three years have been rough,” Stoops said. “I really feel like we’re in a position (in the) next two-three years to really be in a good position, so I feel good about it.”

For now, Kentucky will move into the 2025 season with brand new faces plastered across both offense and defense. They’ll begin their regular season against Toledo at home.